Fresh Face Forward

A closer look at surgical procedures

Tis the season for caroling and tree trimming, gift giving and party hosting, lazy hours by the fire and all those scrumptious sweaters, scarves, and boots. But it’s also the most popular time of year to do a little tweaking when it comes to what you see in the mirror each morning. Want to look your best? Give some consideration to a long-lasting procedure for your face.

Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Lift)

The delicate, thin skin of the upper eyelid can slowly sag with age, resulting in eyes that look tired, uninterested, and even unhealthy. An eyelid lift is a surgical procedure designed to eliminate this lax tissue, creating a brighter, more awake appearance. Blepharoplasty can also address the loose fat pads that pull downward above and below the eye, eliminating dark circles and under-eye “bags.” The benefits of an eyelid lift can be seen almost immediately. Bruising and swelling are generally mild.

Facelift

A facelift isn’t just a facelift anymore. Over the years, several techniques have been developed to address specific concerns related to facial aging. Some patients can obtain a beautiful outcome with a mini facelift or upper facelift. In other cases, symmetry is achieved best with a full facelift. During the procedure, the aim of the surgeon is to lift and remove excess skin to smooth out wrinkles. Your surgeon will also work to perfect facial proportions by addressing the distribution of fatty tissue beneath the surface. Along with the re-draping of muscle tissue, this redefines the jawline, cheeks, and temples, leaving you with a healthy, youthful look.

Facial Implants

Facial implants—in the chin, cheek, or jaw—can enhance your appearance and improve your facial contours, fill out your face, and restore your youthful appearance. Facial implants can be used to put your traits into better proportion or to even out features, especially after previous facial plastic surgery procedures.

Facial Fat Grafting

If you‘ve already tried injectables but want more permanent results, consider the benefits of facial fat grafting. A facial fat graft can restore plump and fuller cheeks, enhance your lips, and erase skin depressions. Your surgeon will use a very targeted fat-grafting technique to extract fat from one part of your body and re-inject active fat cells into various parts of your face. Since your own body fat is used for the procedure, the results are natural and long-lasting.

Neck Lift

It does little good to refresh the appearance of the face if the tissue across the neck is loose and wrinkled. Neck lift surgery has become a popular adjunct to the facelift because it focuses on the curvature from the chin down. Neck lift surgery can remove excess fatty tissue through liposuction before lifting and removing skin that’s lost its tightness.

With any of these procedures, allow yourself some recovery time. (Your surgeon can tell you how much.) Similar to cutting your hair and taking a week or so to grow into it, subtle swelling and bruising needs time to subside—but before long you’ll be presenting a fresh face and a new look.